Be Good
by bethylyes
Summary: slow moving Bethyl fanfiction! spoilers if you haven't watched/read the leaked synopsis for Season 4 Ep. 15 "Us"
1. Chapter 1

**starts after season 4 episode 15 – Us -** **spoiler if you haven't seen/read the spoiler synopsis for the episode**

**I'm sorry I like to make fanfictions tie to where the real story has left off!**

Daryl lay awake in their camp a little off from the train tracks, staring at the dark sky through the trees. He noticed how many stars you could see in the sky anymore… since this whole thing started. It took him this long to finally look up and notice that. He felt different, something he wasn't familiar with. His body felt tight and sore, his stomach churned, but looking at the sky and feeling the gentle breeze almost gave him a peaceful feeling.

"You look like you've never seen the sky before," said Joe. "Sometimes I get so caught up in all the fightin' that I forget this game is my real life now."

Daryl looked over and saw that Joe was sitting up, awake too, probably keeping watch.

"Men like us are made for this kinda life. We're gonna be the last men standing," Joe chuckled. His words uprooted something inside Daryl. There it was again, the reminder that no matter how hard he tried to protect everyone, in the end he'd always be alone. That was the worst thing you could say to him.

Joe sensed the change in Daryl's expression. "You don't seem happy about that. You in a group before us, or were you always a loner?" he asked.

Daryl felt heavy. "I had a group," he said after a short silence.

"And you were the last man standing, eh?"

The heaviness Daryl felt became a sense of emptiness. Just like that he went from feeling like the weight of the world rested on him, to feeling like he barely existed.

"When we found ya on the road, you look tired. Ain't no reason to get so down on yourself about that. The weak ones don't last out here, no point mourning over 'em. In a group like us, you can be sure we ain't bitin' it." Joe chuckled at his irony, but Daryl's expression didn't change.

"Ahh, you've let your heart get to ya, eh?" Was it that noticeable? Daryl wasn't used to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. In fact, no one had ever saw through him like that, except for her….

"Well, I guess all us men get a little lonely sometimes," Joe smiled. "How's about this, the next piece a tail we come across, I'll claim her for you, alright? That'll get your spirits up."

Joe sounded like Merle. Daryl felt conflicted, he'd grown up hearing words like that come out of his brother's and his father's mouths all the time and never thought nothin' of it. But Joe's words made his stomach churn a little more. He had no desire for any kind of frisky comfort. He didn't look at 'em that way anymore; he'd lost the ability to detach himself. He could never enjoy it, how could he when he let the one thing he _had_ to protect get away. The only touch that made him feel comfortable. No one else's would do.

_You've put that behind you._ But what if I can't? _You did. You had to._

He missed it. He missed her. He missed the way she brought something beautiful out of his cynical thoughts, the words he never thought twice about before now felt so wrong in his mind. He wasn't ready to think all on his own, so most of the time he tried not to think about anything at all.


	2. Chapter 2

*Chapter 2*

Although the sun was shining and there weren't many clouds, Daryl still felt chills. He'd fallen asleep only to be greeted by more nightmares, the ones in which he was a walker, roaming around, still conscious and not hungry, trying to warn people, help people, distract the other walkers from biting anyone. And all the while the people still screamed, tried to hurt him. _Bam! _A whole through his chest. Nothing. He couldn't speak, he couldn't communicate, but still he tried to make eye contact with her. _I'm still in here! I'm trying to help you!_ And just as her expression looked as though she could hear those thoughts, just as he tried to reach out to her, he woke up. Every time.

The nightmares left him a bit shaky, but he did his best to shut off the thoughts. Joe said they needed food, Daryl hunted it down. Joe said they needed water, Daryl found it. He was the shell of a man, doing everything the marauders' asked just to have something to do to keep his mind focused on anything but that.

They came to a tunnel, the growls of walkers heard inside. "Wait," Daryl said. The others stopped, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Oh come one, it's just a little darkness," said Tony. "Whatchu being a pussy for?"

"Hey, relax," Joe said. "Daryl, you got a reason for stoppin' us here?"

Daryl stared blankly into the dark for a moment, nothing in particular on his mind, just staring, drifting…. "Uhhh," he began. "Well, if that group you been trackin' went through here, he's probably left you another little surprise don'tcha think? Seems clever enough."

"Oh please, we can take it," Tony said as he started walking.

Joe looked a little pensive. "Maybe he's right," he called to Tony. "Maybe we oughtta go around and sneak up on them from the other side."

"Keep a further distance watchin' 'em," Daryl added.

Joe nodded, formulating some kind of ambush in his head. "Let's head around, boys."

Just then, there was the sound of a light footstep crunching the branches. At once, they all turned to look. Daryl saw a small figure move behind a tree. He drew his crossbow and took a few steps in that direction.

"Who's there?" he called. No response.

"Hey, come on out, we won't hurt ya," Joe chimed in, a smirk on his face. Daryl got the feeling Joe's tracking skills had given him a clue as to what/who their guest was.

Joe took several more steps closer, and closer, he walked right up to the figure behind the tree as if it were a lost puppy.

"Ahhh lookie here," he said, smiling. "It's for you," he said, looking at Daryl. Daryl lowered his crossbow, a confused look on his face that faded as he realized the reference. Joe lifted a small blonde woman up, her hair in a curly, tangled mess and blood stains all over her clothes, and cowboy boots.

Daryl said nothing as he saw who was in front of him. He wanted to run up to her, hold her, keep her safe and never let her go, but he stood his ground, trying to keep a blank expression on his face.

One of the other guys whistled. "Shoot, you got lucky there, man!" Daryl struggled to hide his disgust.

Beth looked back at him, her blue eyes wide open, an expression on her face that Daryl could quite read. After some silence, he relaxed.

"She's all yours, my friend," Joe said as he tossed her by the arm at Daryl's feet. She didn't make eye contact with him, instead seemed to be analyzing the ground around her. Daryl strung his crossbow over his shoulder and offered her a hand, a little embarrassed that it was a little dirty.

She stared at his hand for a moment, as if trying to remember what the gesture meant. She slowly reached out and took it, and he gently helped her up, looking at her with an expression that said _it's okay. Play along, I'll keep you safe_.

"Well aren't you a gentleman," said the one they called Dave. Daryl felt a slight blush on his face as he realized the others were watching closely. "I thought we were gonna get a show right here, but you gon' be like that. Some men like it private, I guess."

Daryl wanted to slam his fist into Dave's face, but still kept restraint. "This one is mine," he said. "And if I see any of you tryin' to touch her, you ain't gon' have hands no more, got it?" The boys smirked but they respected his claim.

They started to move again, following the path Joe decided was best. Daryl was trying to remain inconspicuous, but he noticed the limp and soft groans coming from her as she tried to keep up.

For a moment, his paranoia subsided. "Hop on," said, leaning over to lift her on his back. She didn't protest, she understood and wrapped her arms around him, trying to hide that fact that she had ever held onto his broad shoulders before. Daryl didn't complain about the extra weight as he followed the marauders through the trees. In fact, he didn't feel heavy at all.


End file.
